Improvement in loom-shuttles



J. M. PALMER & G. A. SHAW.

Loom-Shuttle.

Patented Dec. 17, 1878.

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'UNITED STATES PATENT @FFTCE.

JAMES M. PALMER, OF CAMBRIDGE, AND CHARLES A. SHAYV, OF SALEM,MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEM ENT IN LOOM-SHUTTLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent- No. 210,874, datedDecember 17, 1878, application filed April 22, 1878.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, J AMES MONROE PAL- MIER,of Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, andCHARLES ALBERT SHAW, of Salem, in the county of Essex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inLoom- Shuttles, of which the following is a description sufficientlyfull, clear, and exact to enable any person skilled in the art orscience to which our invention appertains to make and use the same,reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectionalview of our improved shuttle Fig. 2, a side elevation of the spindle andspindle-head detached; Fig. 3, a side elevation of the spindleshank;Fig. 4, a sectional view, showing an alternate form of construction forthe spindle and spindle-head; Fig. 5, a view of the ad justing-spring orface-plate; and Fig. 6, a sectional view, showing an alternate form ofc011- struction for the spindle-head.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the diti'erentfigures of the drawin gs.

Our invention relates principally to that class of loom-shuttles whichare employed in what is known as cop weaving, and in which the spindleis provided with a spring for preventing the cop from being accidentallydetached from the spindle either by the percussive blows of thepicker-staff on the shuttle or by the concussion which occurs insuddenly stopping the shuttle at the end of its throw; and consists in anovel construction and arrangement of the parts, all as hereinafter morefully set forth and claimed, by which a more efi'ective device of thischaracter is produced than is now in ordinary use. p

All practical weavers are aware that in the use of ordinary shuttlesmuch difficulty is experienced in preventing the cop from becoming I ingon the upper side of the head at the projecaccidentally detached fromthe spindle or displaced thereon by the percussive blows of thepickerstaft' on the shuttle, and the concussion which occurs in suddenlystopping the shuttle at the end of its throw, such accidentaldisplacement or detachment of the cop resulting in a large waste of thethread or yarn. To overcome this difficulty spindles have been fitted toslide or work longitudinallyin straight bearings formed in thespindle-head of the shuttle, and provided with a spring for taking up orneutralizing the bad effects of the blows and concussion referred to;but it has been found that when all of the bearing-surfaces of theshank, or that portion of the spindlewhich works in the spindle-head,are in parallelism with the axial line of the spindle, the bearings inthe spindle-head soon become worn by the vibratory movements of thespindle, causing it to work loose, and permitting it to drop below itsproper position in the body of the shuttle, thus increasing the wasteand producing poor work.

To remedy the bad effects of the wearing away of the shank of thespindle and bearings in the spindle-head, as described, is one of theprincipal objects of our improvement, and this we accomplish by theemployment of a cone on the spindle and a corresponding conical socketor bearing for the cone in the spindlehead, the cone being drawn orforced into its socket by the same spring which acts to take up orneutralize the blow of the picker-staff, thus centering the spindle, andkeeping it in such a position as to enable the shuttle to do good workeven after the straight bearings have become greatly worn. e alsosometimes employ an auxiliary cone and socket at the outer end of theshank to assist the main cone; but this may be dispensed with ifdesired.

In the drawings, A represents the body of the shuttle; B,thespindle;O,thespindle-head; D, the spindle-head spring, and E the screw by whichthe spring is secured to the heel of the sh little. The spindle-head ispivoted or journaled in the ordinary manner on a pin passing laterallythrough the body of the shuttle and hole G, the inner end of the flatspring D presstion' f.

The body of the spindle-head is provided with a lateral opening orrectangular slot, S, and is also drilled longitudinally to receive theshank of the spindleB. It is also provided with ahorizontally-projecting stud or nipple, J, at its forward end, and witha downwardlyprojecting lug or dog, L, at its rear.

The shank of the spindle should be integral with the body, and consistsof the main cone or taper K, the straight part or hearing Z, theauxiliary cone or taper P, and straight part or bearing Z and ispreferably formed by turn ing down this section of the spindle intoshape, as shown. The cone or taper Kis larger than the cone or taper P,and the straight portion Z is longer, and also has a greater diameterthan the straight portion Z the obj ect of this being to enable theshank to be readily inserted in the spindle-head.

The cone or taperKis fitted to work in a corresponding conical socket ortapering hearing, h, within the stud or projection J, the auxiliary coneP being also titted to work in a like socket or bearing in the oppositeend of the spindle-head. The straight bearings Z Z are also fitted towork nicely in corresponding straight bearings in the spindle-head.

A section of the straight part Z of the shank of the spindle is not usedas a bearing, and disposed around this section within the slot S thereis a coiled spring, H, one end of which abuts against the spindle-headat the forward end of the slot, the other resting against the pin 0,which passes through the part Z, the pin being preferably of a such alength as to prevent the spindle from entirely revolving in eitherdirection.

A spring or face-plate, 11, provided with a lip, m, has its upper endsecured to the heel of the shuttle beneath the spring D by means of thescrews a a, and projects downwardly over that portion of the shuttleagainst which the lug or dog L abuts or strikes when the spindle B is inposition for use. It is not absolutely necessary, however, to extend theplate beneath the spring D, as it may be secured to the heel of theshuttle at some other point at the rear of the spindle-head, althoughthe arrangement shown is preferable. WVhen the spindle is elevated, andthe dog is swung out of contact with the plate, the plate may be readilypushed or swung forward, and thin pieces or lifts of paper or othermaterial in.- serted beneath the same, where they will be securelyretained by the lip on without the aid of cement, andthus thecompression or wearing away of the wood at this point caused by theaction of the spindle-head may be easily and effectually compensated, asrequired. The plate is also provided with a set-screw, n, which may beused in lieu of the paper lifts; but the lifts are preferable, and thescrew may be dispensed wit-h if desired.

In the use of our improvement the spindle B is raised, and the copslipped carefully but firmly onto the same. It is then depressed untilthe dog L comes into contact with the plate 2', in which position itwill be held by the spring D pressing upon the upper side of thespindle-head at the projection f, the pressure of the spring beingregulated by the screw E. The shuttle may now be threaded up, placed inthe race or box, and power applied to the loom. in the usual manner.

When the picker-staff strikes the shuttle for instance, at l-throwing itacross the web as it arrives at the end of its course or throw, theusual sudden stoppage or concussion will tend to detach the cop from thespindle. When the motions are reversed, and the picker-staff strikes theshuttle at r, the tendency will also be to detach the cop. To overcomethis tendency or defect the spindle is fitted to slide longitudinally inthe spindle-head, and is provided with the spring 11 and pin 0, asshown. When the body of the shuttle traveling in a direction from Z to rarrives at the end of its throw, and its motion is suddenly arrested,the momentum acquired by the spindle will cause it to continue a shortdistance on its course after the shuttle has stopped, the

'pin 0 acting against the spring H to compress it in the slot S, thusgradually taking up or neutralizing the effects of the concussion. Whenthe motion is reversed and the pickerstaff strikes the body of theshuttle at v, throwin g it suddenly in the direction of l, the spring Hwill be again compressed in overcoming the inertia of the spindle, andthus take up or neutralize the percussive blow of the pickerstaff andprevent the cop from being detached thereby, all in a manner which willbe readily obvious without a more explicit description.

As previously stated, the cones or tapers K P and the conical sockets orbearings in which they work constitute an important feature of ourinvention, although the cone '1? and its socket are merely auxiliary tothe cone K, and may be dispensed with if desired.

'When the shank of the spindle has straight bearings only, as at Z Zwhether the bearings are of equal size or not, the vibratory movementsof the spindle will soon cause the shank at its bearing parts to wearrapidly, and also the hole through the spindle-head in which the shankworks to become worn away and enlarged, especially at that part of thespindle-head nearest the point of the spindle, thereby looseningthespindle in its head, and rendering th e shuttle unfit for doing goodwork. The evil effects of this wearing away of the journals of thespindle are entirely overcome by the cones K P and their conicalsockets, the expansive action of the spring H drawing or forcing thecones into their sockets at each throw of the shuttle, thereby centeringthe spindle and keeping it in a proper working position.

An alternate method of constructing this portion of our improvement isshown in Fig. 4, the stud J being formed into a conical frustum, g, acorresponding conical socket, d, being attached to the spindle; but theform shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is considered preferable.

An alternate form for the spindle-head is also shown in Fig. 6, in whichthe dog or lug L is inclined, as seen at Q, and when this form is usedthe plat-e2 and surface on which it rests must be inclined tocorrespond. The

' end so of the shank of the spindle does not come flush with the rearface of the spindlehead, thus permitting the cones K P to wear or settlelongitudinally in their sockets without bringing the end into contactwith the plate '5.

The spindle-head bein g provided with the do g L, located at its extremerear portion, and having a vertical face at right angles to the axis ofthe spindle, serves to keep the spindle more securely in position, anddoes less injury to the wood of the shuttle than any other form ofspindle-head of which we have any knowledge.

lhe spindle B is preferably slot-ted or split lengthwise through itscenter, as shown, and the shuttle, in other respects than thosedescribed, is of the ordinary construction.

()ur improved shuttle is well adapted for weaving either cotton, woolen,silk, or other fibrous materials, and will effect a very large saving inwaste over any other now in use.

Having thus explained our invention, what we claim is l. Thespindle-head G, provided with the conical socket 71 arrangedconcentrically with the hole or hearing in which the spindle-shankworks, the spindle B, provided with the cone K, arranged concentricallywith the shank of the spindle, the spring H, and pin 0, all oombincd andarranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In combination with the cone K, arranged concentrically with theshank of the spindle, the auxiliary cone 1? and its conical socket,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

J AMES MONROE PALMER. CHARLES ALBERT SHAYV. i tn esses F. W. Snow,CLARENCE XV. HENDRICK.

